Client device, information processing system, storage medium, and information processing method

ABSTRACT

Provided is a client device that includes a detection unit that detects an act of expressing gratitude by a user, a communication unit that transmits and receives at least a first portion of virtual currency, and a control unit that performs control, with recognition of an act of expressing gratitude by a first user on the basis of data detected, such that a certain amount corresponding to the act in virtual currency held by the first user is subtracted and a first portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency is managed as gratitude currency held by the first user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/480,156, filed on Jul. 23, 2019, which is a U.S.National Phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2017/044274filed on Dec. 11, 2017, which claims priority benefit of Japanese PatentApplication No. JP 2017-023785 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Feb.13, 2017. Each of the above-referenced applications is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a client device, an informationprocessing system, a storage medium, and an information processingmethod.

BACKGROUND ART

Today's capitalist society continues to grow on the premise of amonetary economy; however, profit maximization has also raiseddisadvantages such as increase in the poor and regional disparities.

On the other hand, there is regional currency used as having the samevalue as legal currency or completely different value in a specificregional community. Efforts has been made to deepen regionalrevitalization and social interaction through such regional currency.

Moreover, in recent years, in order to stimulate communication andfurther improve society, a system has also been proposed in which thefeeling of gratitude is quantified and used as currency, focusing onevaluating the feeling of gratitude to the other party.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology related to amethod of settlement of regional currency payment in a specific group.In particular, there is disclosed such a system capable of settling asregional currency like currency, with numerical evaluation value inwhich part or all of the value of offering of goods or services ordonations among members in the specific group is replaced with anumerical value representing the degree of gratitude.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 below discloses a system capable ofexpressing the feeling of gratitude of “thank you” as value informationto a gift destination.

CITATION LIST Patent Document

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2003-303279-   Patent Document 2: International Publication No. 2008/108000

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Both of the systems, however, unilaterally give currency to the otherparty with the feeling of gratitude evaluated.

Tus, the present disclosure proposes a client device, an informationprocessing system, a storage medium, and an information processingmethod capable of distributing, to both parties, virtual currency thatgenerates value through a gratitude act.

Solutions to Problems

According to the present disclosure, there is proposed a client deviceincluding: a detection unit configured to detect an act of expressinggratitude by a user; a communication unit configured to transmit andreceive at least a first portion of virtual currency; and a control unitconfigured to perform control, with recognition of an act of expressinggratitude by a first user on the basis of data detected by the detectionunit, such that a certain amount corresponding to the act in virtualcurrency held by the first user is subtracted and a first portion of thecertain amount of the virtual currency is managed as gratitude currencyheld by the first user, the control unit being configured to cause thecommunication unit to transmit peripherally a second portion of thecertain amount of the virtual currency, as information regardinggratitude reception currency, the control unit being configured toperform control, with reception of information regarding gratitudereception currency via the communication unit after detection of an actof expressing gratitude by a second user on the basis of data detectedby the detection unit, such that the gratitude reception currencyindicated by the information regarding the gratitude reception currencyis managed as gratitude reception currency held by the first user.

According to the present disclosure, there is proposed an informationprocessing system, including: a storage unit configured to store anamount of currency held by a user, on a per-user basis; a communicationunit configured to receive information based on data detected by adetection unit that detects an act of expressing gratitude by the userand information regarding the currency, together with a user ID; and acontrol unit configured to control the storage unit so as to manage afirst portion of a certain amount of virtual currency as gratitudecurrency held by a first user, with subtraction of the certain amountcorresponding to an act of expressing gratitude by the first user in thevirtual currency held by the first user after recognition of the actcorresponding to a first user ID, according to the information based onthe data detected by the detection unit, received together with thefirst user ID, the control unit being configured to perform control totransmit, via the communication unit, an instruction signal forinstructing a client device to peripherally transmit a second portion ofthe certain amount of the virtual currency as information regardinggratitude reception currency, the control unit being configured tofurther control the storage unit so as to manage for gratitude receptioncurrency held by the first user, with reception of a notice indicatingacquisition by the first user of a predetermined amount of gratitudereception currency, together with the first user ID from thecommunication unit, subsequently to recognition of an act of expressinggratitude by a second user not corresponding to the first user IDaccording to the information based on the data detected by the detectionunit, received together with the first user ID.

According to the present disclosure, there is proposed acomputer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing thecomputer to function as: a detection unit configured to detect an act ofexpressing gratitude by a user; a communication unit configured totransmit and receive at least a first portion of virtual currency; and acontrol unit configured to perform control, with recognition of an actof expressing gratitude by a first user on the basis of data detected bythe detection unit, such that a certain amount corresponding to the actin virtual currency held by the first user is subtracted and a firstportion of the certain amount of the virtual currency is managed asgratitude currency held by the first user, the control unit beingconfigured to cause the communication unit to transmit peripherally asecond portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency, asinformation regarding gratitude reception currency, the control unitbeing configured to perform control, with reception of informationregarding gratitude reception currency via the communication unit afterdetection of an act of expressing gratitude by a second user on thebasis of data detected by the detection unit, such that the gratitudereception currency indicated by the information regarding the gratitudereception currency is managed as gratitude reception currency held bythe first user.

According to the present disclosure, there is proposed an informationprocessing method, by a processor, including: storing an amount ofcurrency held by a user, on a per-user basis, in a storage unit;receiving information based on data detected by a detection unit thatdetects an act of expressing gratitude by the user and informationregarding the currency, together with a user ID, with a communicationunit; and controlling the storage unit so as to manage a first portionof a certain amount of virtual currency as gratitude currency held by afirst user, with subtraction of the certain amount corresponding to anact of expressing gratitude by the first user in the virtual currencyheld by the first user after recognition of the act corresponding to afirst user ID, according to the information based on the data detectedby the detection unit, received together with the first user ID, andperforming control to transmit, via the communication unit, aninstruction signal for instructing a client device to peripherallytransmit a second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currencyas information regarding gratitude reception currency; and furthercontrolling the storage unit so as to manage for gratitude receptioncurrency held by the first user, with reception of a notice indicatingacquisition by the first user of a predetermined amount of gratitudereception currency, together with the first user ID from thecommunication unit, subsequently to recognition of an act of expressinggratitude by a second user not corresponding to the first user IDaccording to the information based on the data detected by the detectionunit, received together with the first user ID.

Effects of the Invention

As described above, the present disclosure makes it possible todistribute, to both parties, virtual currency that generates valuethrough a gratitude act.

Note that the above effect is not necessarily limited; and in additionto or instead of the above effect, there may also be exhibited any ofeffects indicated in the present specification or another effect thatcan be grasped from the present specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory illustration of the overview of an informationprocessing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of the entire configuration of theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of a terminaldevice according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of a serveraccording to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation processing in a terminal device onthe gratitude act side according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary notice screen of a currencystatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operation processing in a terminal device onthe gratitude reception side according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory illustration of the overview of gratitude actin one person to a large number of persons and generation of gratitudecurrency and gratitude reception currency according to the presentembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of operation processing of a terminal device 1A onthe gratitude act side in the one person to the large number of personsaccording to the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of operation processing in the terminal deviceaccording to the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of operation processing in the server accordingto the present embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary visualized graph according to the presentembodiment.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary visualized graph for each entity according tothe present embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram of operation processing in usage ofgratitude currency and gratitude reception currency as points accordingto the present embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of visualization processing on the status ofpoint exchange according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary visualized image of the status of point exchangeaccording to the present embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram of operation processing of the terminaldevice on the gratitude act side and the server according to an appliedexample.

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram of operation processing of the terminaldevice on the gratitude reception side and the server according to theapplied example.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, inthe present specification and the drawings, the same reference numeralsare given to constituent elements having substantially the samefunctional configurations, respectively and redundant description willbe omitted.

Furthermore, the description will be made in the following order.

1. Overview of Information Processing System according to Embodiment ofPresent Disclosure

2. Configurations 2-1. Configuration of Terminal Device 2-2.Configuration of Server 3. Operation Processing 3-1. First OperationProcessing (One Person to One Person) 3-2. Second Operation Processing(One Person to Large Number of Persons) 4. Visualization Processing 5.Applied Example 6. Conclusion 1. OVERVIEW OF INFORMATION PROCESSINGSYSTEM ACCORDING TO EMBODIMENT OF PRESENT DISCLOSURE

FIG. 1 is an explanatory illustration of the overview of an informationprocessing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.In the present embodiment, “thank-you currency” 30 that generates valuethrough a gratitude act is issued in advance in a specific group such asa region, a municipality, or a company. The thank-you currency 30 isissued to a regional resident electronically via an electronic walletapplication for regional creation, for example.

The thank-you currency 30 does not generate value solely and isconceptually a tally as illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, when a userA expresses gratitude to a user B, thank-you currency 30 retained by theuser A is virtually divided (i.e., converted) into gratitude currency 30a (first virtual currency) and gratitude reception currency 30 b (secondvirtual currency) each having value. The gratitude currency 30 a isvirtual currency that remains on the hand of a person who expressesgratitude (here, user A), and the gratitude reception currency 30 b isvirtual currency that is delivered to a different person who receivesthe gratitude (target of gratitude). The gratitude reception currency 30b is transmitted electronically to the different person side via anelectronic wallet application, for example. Note that “currency” in thepresent specification does not mean so-called “money (legal currency)”and is evaluation value obtained by evaluation of the feeling ofgratitude.

The gratitude act is assumed to be an act, for example, in which theuser utters gratitude words such as “thank you!”, “thank you, it washelpful!” and shakes hands with the different person.

The gratitude currency 30 a and the gratitude reception currency 30 bmay be exchangeable for regional currency, a regional discount voucher,or a shopping voucher at a regional exchange site, or may be used as apoint at, for example, a regional shop.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the thank-you currency 30issued regionally is converted into the gratitude currency 30 a and thegratitude reception currency 30 b each having the value, through thegratitude act to a someone, and distributed to the person who expressesgratitude (person with gratitude) and the different person who receivesthe gratitude (gratitude reception person), thereby resulting inprompting for expressing the feeling of gratitude.

Subsequently, the entire configuration of the information processingsystem according to the above present embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of the entireconfiguration of the information processing system according to thepresent embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing system according tothe present embodiment includes terminal devices 1 (1A, 1B) possessed byeach user, a server 2, and a point of sale system (POS) terminal 4 of astore for usage of the gratitude currency 30 a and the gratitudereception currency 30 b as points.

Each of the terminal devices 1 (client devices) serves as an informationprocessing terminal for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, or awearable device such as a smart band, a tablet terminal, a music player,or a game machine. The terminal device 1 detects a gratitude act of theuser with various sensors, varies the thank-you currency 30 into thegratitude currency 30 a and the gratitude reception currency 30 b inaccordance with the gratitude act, and then transmits the gratitudereception currency 30 b to a different user. For example, electronicwallet applications are installed in the terminal device 1A and theterminal device 1B, respectively. When detecting a gratitude act of theuser, the terminal device 1A transmits the gratitude reception currency30 b generated on the basis of the thank-you currency 30 to the terminaldevice 1B of the different user, through proximity wirelesscommunication (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) low energy (BLE), or non-contact communication). Such anelectronic wallet application is capable of managing the thank-youcurrency 30, the gratitude currency 30 a, and the gratitude receptioncurrency 30 b in number. Furthermore, the terminal device 1 receives anissuance of the thank-you currency 30 from the server 2, and transmitsthe history of gratitude act by each user to the server 2.

The server 2 is capable of managing the issuance of the thank-youcurrency 30, and accumulating the history of gratitude act of each userto generate visualized data regarding the status of gratitude act andthe usage of points as necessary. The thank-you currency 30 can also beset in issuance number within the budget of a municipality, for example,for revitalizing the municipality.

The information processing system according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure has been described above. Subsequently, therespective specific configurations of the devices included in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment willbe described with reference to the drawings.

2. CONFIGURATIONS <2-1. Configuration of Terminal Device 1>

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of the terminaldevice 1 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 3,the terminal device 1 includes a control unit 10, a networkcommunication unit 11, a proximity wireless communication unit 12, anoperation input unit 13, a voice input unit 14, a sensor 15, a displayunit 16, a voice output unit 17, and a currency information storage unit18.

The control unit 10 functions as a computation processing device and acontrol device, and controls the overall operation in the terminaldevice 1 in accordance with various programs. The control unit 10 isimplemented by, for example, an electronic circuit such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) and a microprocessor. Furthermore, the controlunit 10 may include a read only memory (ROM) that stores, for example, aprogram and a computation parameter to be used, and a random accessmemory (RAM) that temporarily stores, for example, a parameter thatvaries suitably.

Furthermore, the control unit 10 according to the present embodimentalso functions as a gratitude act recognition unit 101 and a currencymanagement unit 102.

The gratitude act recognition unit 101 recognizes a gratitude act by auser or a gratitude act from the other user. Specifically, the gratitudeact recognition unit 101 analyzes voice data collected by the voiceinput unit 14 to recognize a gratitude utterance such as “thank you”,and then recognizes the gratitude utterance as a gratitude act. In thepresent embodiment, as an example, the thank-you currency 30 isconverted into the gratitude currency 30 a and the gratitude receptioncurrency 30 b for properly expressing of gratitude to the differentuser, and the thank-you currency 30 is not converted for pretendedgratitude. Thus, for example, emphasis is placed on telling thedifferent user clearly “thank you” aloud. Alternative examples of an actinstead of telling the different user thank you aloud include:

-   -   Put out the user's hand and shake hands with the different user;        Hug to express gratitude to the different user;        Toast with gratitude; and        Applaud with gratitude.

Any of the acts can be sensed by the terminal device 1 or a sensorinstalled peripherally. The gratitude act recognition unit 101 iscapable of recognizing a gratitude act on the basis of, for example,various sensing data (e.g., captured image, acceleration data, and gyrodata) sensed by the sensor 15. Furthermore, in a case where a brainmachine interface (BMI) is usable, the feeling of gratitude may bedetected on the basis of brain information regarding the user.

The currency management unit 102 manages the amounts of thank-youcurrency 30, gratitude currency 30 a, and gratitude reception currency30 b, and perform conversion processing (generation processing) onthank-you currency 30 held when a gratitude act is recognized, intogratitude currency 30 a and gratitude reception currency 30 b.

Furthermore, in a case where gratitude currency 30 a and gratitudereception currency 30 b are used as points, the currency management unit102 allocates a predetermined amount of points (e.g., points set bydefault) as the gratitude currency 30 a and the gratitude receptioncurrency 30 b.

Furthermore, the currency management unit 102 may change the number ofpoints to be allocated to the gratitude currency 30 a and the gratitudereception currency 30 b, in accordance with the type of gratitude act.For example, for a gratitude act with utterance of “thank you”, thecurrency management unit 102 generates gratitude currency 30 a andgratitude reception currency 30 b each for 20P, and for a gratitude actwith utterance of “thank you very much”, the currency management unit102 generates gratitude currency 30 a and gratitude reception 30 b eachfor 40P. Furthermore, for a gratitude act with a repeated utterance of“thank you very much” while holding the hand, the currency managementunit 102 may also generate gratitude currency 30 a and gratitudereception currency 30 b each for 100P. The currency management unit 102subtracts the generated points from the sum total (e.g., 3000P) inthank-you currency 30 retained by the user.

The voice input unit 14 is implemented by a microphone, a microphoneamplifier unit that performs amplification processing on a voice signalobtained by the microphone, and an A/D converter that performs digitalconversion on the voice signal. The voice input unit 14 outputs thevoice signal to the control unit 10.

The sensor 15 includes various sensor devices that each detect agratitude act. For example, the sensor 15 may be a camera, anaccelerometer, a gyro sensor, or a biosensor.

The display unit 16 serves as a display device that outputs a screen,for example, indicating the current holding status of currency and thehistory of gratitude act. The display unit 16 may be, for example, adisplay device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organicelectroluminescence (EL) display.

The voice output unit 17 has a speaker that reproduces a voice signaland an amplifier circuit for the speaker.

The network communication unit 11 is connected to the network 3 wiredlyor wirelessly, and transmits data to and receives data from the server 2on the network. The network communication unit 11 is connected tocommunicate with the network 3 via, for example, a wired/wireless localarea network (LAN), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), a mobile communicationnetwork (long term evolution (LTE), or 3G (third generation mobilecommunication system)).

The proximity wireless communication unit 12 transmits data to andreceives data from a peripheral external device through proximitywireless communication. For example, the proximity wirelesscommunication unit 12 performs proximity wireless communication via, forexample, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), BLE; Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) low energy, or non-contact communication. In the presentembodiment, gratitude reception currency 30 b is transmitted by theproximity wireless communication unit 12 to the terminal devicepossessed by a gratitude reception user.

The currency information storage unit 18 is implemented by a read onlymemory (ROM) that stores, for example, a program and a computationparameter to be used for processing by the control unit 10(specifically, e.g., the amount of thank-you currency 30, gratitudecurrency 30 a, and gratitude reception currency 30 b, and the history ofgratitude act), and a random access memory (RAM) that temporarilystores, for example, a parameter that varies suitably. Note that thereliability of the status of the amount of currency and the history ofgratitude act (transaction data) managed by each terminal device 1 maybe secured with a mechanism such as a blockchain.

The configuration of the terminal device 1 according to the presentembodiment has been specifically described above. Note that theconfiguration of the terminal device 1 is not limited to the exampleillustrated in FIG. 3. For example, at least part of the configurationof the terminal device 1 may be provided in a different device, and datamay be transmitted to and received from the terminal device 1.

<2-2. Configuration of Server 2>

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of the server 2according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, theserver 2 (information processing apparatus) includes a control unit 20,a communication unit 21, a currency issuance information storage unit22, a point usage information storage unit 23, and a user historystorage unit 24.

(Control Unit 20)

The control unit 20 functions as a computation processing device and acontrol device, and controls the overall operation in the server 2 inaccordance with various programs. The control unit 20 is implemented by,for example, an electronic circuit such as a central processing unit(CPU) or a microprocessor. Furthermore, the control unit 20 may includea read only memory (ROM) that stores, for example, a program and acomputation parameter to be used, and a random access memory (RAM) thattemporarily stores, for example, a parameter that varies suitably.

Furthermore, the control unit 20 according to the present embodimentalso functions as a currency management unit 201, a user management unit202, a visualization unit 203, and a gratitude act recognition unit 204.

The currency management unit 201 manages thank-you currency 30,gratitude currency 30 a, and gratitude reception currency 30 b. Forexample, the currency management unit 201 issues (transmits) apredetermined amount of thank-you currency 30 to a user of a specificgroup (e.g., a regional inhabitant). Information regarding, for example,the issuance timing, issuance amount, and issuance destination ofthank-you currency 30 is stored in the currency issuance informationstorage unit 22, as currency issuance information. Furthermore, forrecognition of a gratitude act on the server 2 side, the currencymanagement unit 201 converts thank-you currency 30 held by a target userinto gratitude currency 30 a and gratitude reception currency 30 b dueto a gratitude act, and performs control to impart the gratitudecurrency 30 a to the target user and the gratitude reception currency 30b to a person who receives the gratitude from the target user.

The user management unit 202 manages registration, update, deletion, andthe like of user information. Specifically, the user management unit 202stores the status of the amount of currency (amount of thank-youcurrency 30, gratitude currency 30 a, and gratitude reception currency30 b) held by each user and the history of gratitude act of each user inthe user history storage unit 24 and manages the same therein.Furthermore, the user management unit 202 acquires, from the POSterminal 4 of the store, information in point exchange (usage) of thegratitude currency 30 a or the gratitude reception currency 30 b by eachuser in the store, and stores the acquired information into the pointusage information storage unit 23. The point usage information includesa POS terminal number (ID), a usage user ID, the number of usage ofpoints (furthermore, usage of either the gratitude currency 30 a or thegratitude reception currency 30 b), and a date and time.

The visualization unit 203 has a function of visualizing the status ofpoint usage and the status of gratitude act, such as an image obtainedby mapping the status of point usage on a map, and an imageschematically depicting the status of gratitude act among users in aspecific group.

The gratitude act recognition unit 204, similarly to the gratitude actrecognition unit 101 of the terminal device 1 described above,recognizes a gratitude act of the user or a gratitude act from the otheruser on the basis of at least either of voice data or sensor data. Inthe present embodiment, a gratitude act may be recognized by theterminal device 1, or may be recognized by the gratitude act recognitionunit 204 of the server 2 on the basis of voice data or sensor datatransmitted from the terminal device 1.

The communication unit 21 is connected to the network 3 by wiredly orwirelessly, and transmits data to and receives data from each terminaldevice 1 via the network 3. The network communication unit 21 isconnected to communicate with the network 3 via, for example, awired/wireless local area network (LAN), or Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi,registered trademark).

The currency issuance information storage unit 22, the point usageinformation storage unit 23, and the user history storage unit 24 areeach included in a storage device including, for example, a storagemedium, a recording device that records data in the storage medium, areading device that reads data from the storage medium, and a deletiondevice that deletes data recorded in the storage medium.

The configuration of the server 2 according to the present embodimenthas been specifically described above. Note that the configuration ofthe server 2 is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 4. Forexample, at least part of the configuration of the server 2 may beprovided in a different device, and data may be transmitted to andreceived from the server 2.

3. OPERATION PROCESSING

Subsequently, operation processing of the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment will be specifically described withthe drawings.

<3-1. First Operation Processing (One Person to One Person)>

First, first operation processing according to the present embodimentwill be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. Here, for example,there will be described operation processing of the terminal device 1Apossessed by the user A and the terminal device 1B possessed by the userB, in a case where the user A is in trouble, the user B does the user Aa kind turn (e.g., ride in a car, carrying luggage, and help duringgetting lost) and the user A expresses gratitude with telling the user B“thank you” aloud. At this time, when recognizing the gratitude act ofthe user A, the terminal device 1A generates gratitude currency 30 a andgratitude reception currency 30 b to transmit the gratitude receptioncurrency 30 b to the terminal device 1B. Note that operation processingdescribed below may be performed by the electronic wallet applicationinstalled in the terminal device 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation processing in the terminal device 1Aon the gratitude act side according to the present embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, first, in a case where thank-you currency hasbeen distributed in a specific group (step S103/Yes), the terminaldevice 1A receives the thank-you currency from the server 2 (step S106).The “thank-you currency” can be issued to a regional resident, forexample, in a municipality for regional revitalization. For example, ina case where (virtual) currency according to the present embodiment isused as a point, a predetermined amount of points (e.g., 1000P) isissued as the “thank-you currency”.

Next, the currency management unit 102 of the terminal device 1A updatesthe status of holding currency, on the basis of the received amount ofthank-you currency (step S109). The currency information storage unit 18retains the respective holding amounts of thank-you currency, gratitudecurrency, and gratitude reception currency, and the currency managementunit 102 adds the amount of thank-you currency received this time to thecurrent amount of thank-you currency.

Next, the gratitude act recognition unit 101 recognizes a gratitude actby the user him/herself, on the basis of a voice input by the voiceinput unit 14 and sensor data sensed by the sensor 15 (step S112). Forexample, in verification of an utterance of “thank you” with voiceanalysis of collected voice data, the gratitude act recognition unit 101further verifies whether or not the utterance is the user A's utterance,who is the owner of the terminal device 1A, with voiceprint analysis.

Next, in a case where a gratitude act by the user him/herself has beenrecognized (step S112/Yes), the currency management unit 102 subtracts apredetermined amount (e.g., 100P) from the current remaining amount of“thank-you currency” (step S115).

Next, the currency management unit 102 adds the amount of points (e.g.,50P) that is half of the amount of subtraction from the “thank-youcurrency”, to the current amount of “gratitude currency” (step S118).

Next, the currency management unit 102 transmits peripherally “gratitudereception currency” of the amount of points (e.g., 50P) that is the sameas the half, through the proximity wireless communication (step S121).There is assumed an utterance of gratitude words to a person ahead.Thus, it is assumed that the terminal device 1B possessed by the user Bwho receives the gratitude is also present nearby, whereby peripherallytransmitting of the predetermined amount of “gratitude receptioncurrency” makes it possible to transmit the same to the terminal device1B. Note that, for transmission of “gratitude reception currency”, apacket actually corresponding to the gratitude reception currency may betransmitted, or only data indicating the amount of gratitude receptioncurrency and the amount in number may be transmitted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the “thank-you currency”is converted into the “gratitude currency” and the “gratitude receptioncurrency” that are usable as points to generate value.

Note that, in the present embodiment, as an example, the amount ofpoints that is half of a predetermined amount of subtraction from the“thank-you currency” is imparted to each of the “gratitude currency” andthe “gratitude reception currency”. The point allocation (amount of“gratitude currency” and “gratitude reception currency”), however, isnot limited to the example.

Then, the currency management unit 102 can display the current currencystatus on the display unit 16 to notify the user of the current currencystatus (step S124). Here, FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary notice screenof the currency status according to the present embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, a notice screen 160 indicates the current amountof thank-you currency, the current amount of gratitude currency, and thecurrent amount of gratitude reception currency as the current status,and indicates, with a graph, the amounts of thank-you currency,gratitude currency, and gratitude reception currency for each of themost recent months as the history of the most recent currency status.Moreover, as a “recent event”, there are indicated reception of anissuance of thank-you currency, reception of gratitude receptioncurrency from a different person, and although unillustrated, generationof gratitude currency as a result of gratitude to a different person,for example. An unclear identification of a person who expressesgratitude or who receives the gratitude may not be explicatedparticularly.

Subsequently, operation processing in the terminal device 1B possessedby the user B who has received the gratitude act from the user A will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operationprocessing in the terminal device 1B on the gratitude reception sideaccording to the present embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, first, the gratitude act recognition unit 101of the terminal device 1B determines whether or not a gratitude act froma different user has been recognized, on the basis of collected voicedata (step S136). For example, for an utterance of “thank you” by theuser A, the voice of the user A is collected by the voice input unit 14of the terminal device 1B possessed by the user B, and “thank you” witha predetermined voice level or larger is detected. Moreover, thegratitude act recognition unit 101 recognizes, with voiceprint analysis,that the utterance of “thank you” is not a gratitude act from the user Bwho is the owner of the terminal device 1B and the utterance is agratitude act from a different user.

Next, it is determined whether or not a “gratitude reception notice” hasbeen received within a certain period of time from the gratitude act(step S139). As described above, a predetermined amount of gratitudereception currency is transmitted through the proximity wirelesscommunication from the terminal device 1A of the user A who hasperformed the gratitude act. Thus, it is assumed that the terminaldevice 1B of the user B who has received the gratitude words receivesthe gratitude reception currency.

Next, in a case where a “gratitude reception notice” has been receivedwithin a certain period of time (step S139/Yes), the currency managementunit 102 of the terminal device 1B adds the received amount to thecurrent amount of “gratitude reception currency” managed by the currencyinformation storage unit 18 (step S142).

Then, the control unit 10 of the terminal device 1B displays, forexample, the history of currency status or the current amount ofcurrency on the display unit 16, thereby allowing notification to theuser B of the acquisition of the “gratitude reception currency” and thecurrent holding amount of “gratitude reception currency” (step S145).

The first operation processing has been specifically described above.For the first operation processing, there has been described thegeneration of the gratitude currency and the gratitude receptioncurrency due to the gratitude act from the user A to the user B in theone person-to-one person relationship.

<3-2. Second Operation Processing (One Person to a Large Number ofPersons)>

Subsequently, second operation processing according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 9. For thesecond operation processing, there is assumed a case of expressing ofgratitude to a large number of different persons. FIG. 8 is anexplanatory illustration of the overview of gratitude act in one personto a large number of persons and generation of gratitude currency andgratitude reception currency. As illustrated in FIG. 8, for example,even in a case where a user A (speaker) expresses gratitude with tellinga large number of audiences “thank you” aloud at a podium at a lecture,gratitude currency 30 a and gratitude reception currency 30 b eachgenerating value are generated, on the basis of thank-you currency ofthe user A. At this time, the gratitude reception currency 30 b (30 b-1to 30 b-4 . . . ) is defined as the number of points divided by thenumber of audiences. For example, in a case where 100P are subtractedfrom the thank-you currency and the gratitude currency is defined as“50P”, the gratitude reception currency is defined as “50P/N” (N numberof audiences).

Hereinafter, the generation of the gratitude currency and the gratitudereception currency for the gratitude act in the one person to the largenumber of persons as described above will be specifically described withreference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of operation processing of the terminal device 1Aon the gratitude act side in the one person to the large number ofpersons according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9,first, in a case where thank-you currency has been distributed into aspecific group (step S203/Yes), the terminal device 1A receives thethank-you currency from the server 2 (step S206). Similarly to theoperation processing described above, the “thank-you currency” can beissued to a regional resident, for example, in a municipality forregional revitalization.

Next, the currency management unit 102 of the terminal device 1A updatesthe state of holding currency, on the basis of the received amount ofthank-you currency (step S209).

Next, the gratitude act recognition unit 101 recognizes a gratitude actby the user him/herself, on the basis of a voice input by the voiceinput unit 14 and sensor data sensed by the sensor 15 (step S212).

Next, in a case where a gratitude act by the user him/herself has beenrecognized (step S212/Yes), the currency management unit 102 acquiresthe signal intensity (radio wave intensity) of proximity wirelesscommunication emitted from a peripheral communication terminal (stepS215).

Next, the currency management unit 102 calculates N number of terminalsthrough the proximity wireless communication having an intensity of acertain value or larger (step S218). This calculation makes it possibleto grasp the number of persons who receive the gratitude from the user.Note that, as an example, there has been described here the calculationof the number of terminals with the radio wave intensity; however, thepresent embodiment is not limited to the example.

Next, the currency management unit 102 subtracts a predetermined amount(e.g., 100P) from the current remaining amount of “thank-you currency”(step S221).

Next, the currency management unit 102 adds the amount of points (e.g.,50P) that is half of the amount of subtraction from the “thank-youcurrency”, to the current amount of “gratitude currency” (step S224).

Next, the currency management unit 102 transmits peripherally the amountof “gratitude reception currency” obtained by dividing of the amount ofpoints (e.g., 50P) that is the same as the half, by N number ofperipheral terminals, through the proximity wireless communication,(step S227).

Then, the currency management unit 102 can display the current currencystatus on the display unit 16 to notify the user of the current currencystatus (step S230).

Receiving processing on the “gratitude reception currency” on theaudience side is similar to the processing described with reference toFIG. 7, and the details are omitted here. Each of the audiences canreceive the “gratitude reception currency” at the terminal device 1possessed by the audience and record the same in the terminal device 1.

The generation of the gratitude currency and the gratitude receptioncurrency in the one person to the large number of persons has beenspecifically described above.

Note that the transmission and reception of the “gratitude receptioncurrency” through the proximity wireless communication may bedirectional instead of nondirectional. This is because it is assumedthat both parties face to each other in a gratitude act.

4. VISUALIZATION PROCESSING

The history of gratitude act and the history of currency statusdescribed above each are correlated to a user ID and periodicallyuploaded to the server 2. Thus, the server 2 according to the presentembodiment makes it possible to visualize the flow of “gratitudecurrency” and “gratitude reception currency” between each user, on thebasis of, for example, the history of gratitude act of each useraccumulated in the user history storage unit 24.

Publishing of the visualized results allows intuitive grasp of the flowand amount of gratitude act of each constituent member and motivates theconstituent member to increase a gratitude act more, so that furthervitalization is expected. Furthermore, those who supply thank-youcurrency can also grasp the entire picture in a specific group, whichmakes it possible to draft a specific measure for vitalization.

Furthermore, publishing or checking of visualized images maintains thefairness in utilization of the thank-you currency. For example, a casewhere mutual gratitude acts are frequent only between specific usersleads to suspicion of intentional gratitude with purposes by bothparties and earning of gratitude currency and gratitude receptioncurrency. Thus, such acts can be inhibited.

(Operation Processing)

First, operation processing in the terminal device 1 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 10. As illustrated in FIG. 10, in a case wheretime T1 (second) or longer has passed since the previous report (stepS303/Yes), the terminal device 1 counts the difference between thecurrent status of “thank-you currency”, “gratitude currency”, and“gratitude reception currency” in the terminal and the previous report(history) (step S306).

Next, the terminal device 1 transmits the count result together with auser ID to the server 2 (step S309).

Next, in a case where the user has input a visualization request (stepS312/Yes), the visualization request and the type of visualization aretransmitted to the server 2 (step S315). The type of visualizationincludes the type of graph in visualization, as well as identifying ofthe scope of visualization such as the scope of gratitude acts andtiming to be visualized. For example, there can be requestedvisualization by designating of a specific date and time (e.g., weeklybasis, monthly basis, or annual basis) for a specific group(municipality) to which the user him/herself belongs.

Next, in a case where the visualized data from the server 2 has beenreceived (step S318), the control unit 10 of the terminal device 1displays a visualized image generated by the server 2 on the displayunit 16 (step S321). Specific examples of the visualized image will bedescribed later with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

Subsequently, operation processing in the server 2 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 11. As illustrated in FIG. 11, first, in a casewhere data (count result) has been received from the terminal device 1(step S333/Yes), the user management unit 202 of the server 2 determinesa user ID, on the basis of the received data (step S336).

Next, the user management unit 202 updates, on the basis of the receiveddata (count result), the respective values of “thank-you currency”,“gratitude currency”, and “gratitude reception currency” to becorrelated to the determined user ID, in the user history storage unit24 (step S339).

Next, the user management unit 202 stores, in the user history storageunit 24, the difference of transaction data (gratitude act) since theprevious report from the terminal device 1 (step S342).

Here, in the user history storage unit 24, status data (history of theamount of currency) and transaction data (history of gratitude act) areaccumulated in correlation to a user ID.

For example, as indicated in Table 1 below, the status data is data inwhich thank-you currency, gratitude currency, gratitude receptioncurrency, and the amount obtained by adding of the gratitude currencyand the gratitude reception currency are correlated to each user ID.

TABLE 1 Gratitude currency + Gratitude Gratitude Thank-you Gratitudereception reception User ID currency currency currency currency . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 00001112 2140P 520P 680P 1200P 00001113 2000P 520P120P  640P 00001114 2440P 520P 480P 1000P 00001115 1880P 720P 680P 1400P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Furthermore, as indicated in Table 2 below, the transaction data is datain which, as a gratitude act of each of the users, points of variationin “gratitude currency” and “gratitude reception currency” are recordedtogether with the time stamps and a different person (if identifiable).

TABLE 2 User ID Time stamp Transaction To/From whom . . . . . . . . . .. . 00001112 2016/11/15 23:59:01 Gratitude: 20 00001113 (Person B)00001112 2016/11/15 15:23:00 Gratitude 00001113 (Person B) reception: 2000001112 2016/11/15 10:13:00 Gratitude: 80 00001114 (Person C) 000011122016/11/15 23:59:01 Gratitude 00001114 (Person C) reception: 40 000011122016/11/15 9:50:01 Gratitude: 100 00001115 (Person D) 000011122016/11/15 20:29:31 Gratitude 00001115 (Person D) reception: 60 . . . .. . . . . . . . 00001114 2016/11/15 17:59:01 Gratitude: 20 00001115(Person D) 00001114 2016/11/15 23:59:01 Gratitude 00001115 (Person D)reception: 20 . . . . . . . . . . . .

Next, in a case where visualization has been requested from the terminaldevice 1 (step S345/Yes), the visualization unit 203 determines whetheror not the visualization has been requested with a region and a datedesignated (step S348). The designation of the date is not limited to aspecific one day, and for example, two days or longer, a weekly basis,or a monthly basis may be designated.

Next, in a case where visualization has been requested with a region anda date designated (step S348/Yes), the visualization unit 203 identifiesand lists users each corresponding to the designated region (step S351).

Next, the visualization unit 203 extracts the respective pieces ofstatus data of the users corresponding to the list, from the userhistory storage unit 24 (step S354).

Next, the visualization unit 203 draws islands for the correspondingusers, respectively, on a visualized graph, and then colors the islands,on the basis of the status data (step S357). Specifically, for example,coloring is made in accordance with the additional value of gratitudecurrency and gratitude reception currency included in the status data.

Next, the visualization unit 203 extracts the respective pieces oftransaction data of the users corresponding to the list, from the userhistory storage unit 24 (step S360).

Next, the visualization unit 203 extracts the respective pieces oftransaction data with the designated date from the extracted data (stepS363), and connects the islands corresponding to the users on thevisualized graph, respectively by an arrow in a form corresponding tothe transaction data (step S366). Specifically, for example, thevisualization unit 203 adds an arrow representing the degree ofgratitude act of each user included in the transaction data.

Then, the visualization unit 203 transmits the created visualized graphto the terminal device 1 of the request source (step S369).

Here, FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary visualized graph createdaccording to the present embodiment. A visualized image 162 illustratedin FIG. 12 includes a visualized graph 164. On the visualized graph 164,islands colored on the basis of the respective pieces of status data ofthe users (here, the total value of gratitude currency and gratitudereception currency) are connected by arrows each corresponding to theamount of gratitude act among the users. This allows intuitivelyunderstanding of the degree of gratitude act by whom to whom and theamount of gratitude currency and gratitude reception currency owned bywhom. Note that the degree of amount of gratitude may be represented bymoving of the pattern of the arrow quickly with animation.

Note that in a case where publishing of personal data as it is has adisadvantage or the granularity of personal data is better to change,there can also be created a visualized graph in a similar manner withabstracted layers from the individual level, to visualize the status ofeach organization, company, region, or the like. Here, FIG. 13illustrates an exemplary visualized graph for each entity. Asillustrated in FIG. 13, each island included in the visualized graph 166is colored, for example, in accordance with the total value of gratitudecurrency and gratitude reception currency of all users belonging to anentity (e.g., each town). Furthermore, arrows making connection betweeneach island are expressed, on the basis of the amount of gratitude actfrom the users belonging to one entity from the users belonging to theother entity. Thus, the present embodiment allows creation of avisualized graph other than for individual person.

Furthermore, recording places of gratitude act as transaction data tocreate similarly a visualized graph for each place makes it possible tograsp the degree of gratitude and gratitude reception depending on theplace.

Furthermore, similarly creating a visualized graph for each time zone oreach day of the week also allows grasp of what kind of time zone or dayof the week has more gratitude and gratitude reception.

Moreover, creating a visualized graph on the basis of point exchange(usage in a store) of gratitude currency and gratitude receptioncurrency allows intuitive grasp of the degree of market activity. Thecreation processing on a visualized graph on the basis of the pointexchange will be described later with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16.

The creation of visualization described above designates exemplarily aregion and a date; however, the present embodiment is not limited tosuch a region and a date. In a case where a different visualization hasbeen requested from the terminal device 1 (step S348/No), thevisualization unit 203 performs different visualization processing inresponse to the request (step S372).

(Visualization of Point Exchange)

Subsequently, visualization processing on the basis of informationregarding usage of gratitude currency and gratitude reception currencyas points will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16.

First, with reference to FIG. 14, operation processing in usage of thegratitude currency and the gratitude reception currency as points willbe described. As illustrated in FIG. 14, first, the user inputs theamount of point usage with the terminal device 1 (step S403).

Next, the user holds the terminal device 1 over a reading device of thePOS terminal 4, and information regarding the amount of point usage istransmitted from the terminal device 1 to the POS terminal 4, throughthe proximity wireless communication (step S406).

Next, the POS terminal 4 transmits a point usage request acquired fromthe terminal device 1, to the server 2 (step S409). At this time, thepoint usage request may include a user ID.

Next, the server 2 performs personal authentication on the basis of theuser ID (step S412).

Next, in a case where personal authentication has failed (step S415/No),the server 2 notifies the POS terminal 4 of the failed authentication,and also notifies the terminal device 1 via the POS terminal 4 (stepS413).

On the other hand, in a case where personal authentication has succeeded(step S415/Yes), the currency management unit 201 of the server 2updates currency information regarding the corresponding user (stepS418). Specifically, the number of points to be used this time issubtracted from the amount of gratitude currency and gratitude receptioncurrency of the user (i.e., the number of points) stored in the userhistory storage unit 24.

Subsequently, the server 2 makes a transfer reservation for thecorresponding sum of money to an account of a store, as paymentprocessing on the point usage to the store (step S421), and notifies thePOS terminal 4 of completion of the transfer reservation (step S424).

Next, a payment completion notice is transmitted from the POS terminal 4to the terminal device 1 (step S427), and a payment completion displayis displayed on the display unit 16 of the terminal device 1 (stepS430).

Then, the server 2 registers the point usage information regarding theuser into the point usage information storage unit 23 (step S433). Asindicated in Table 3 below, the point usage information includes, forexample, the items of number of POS terminal 4, time stamp, exchange(usage) point, and user ID.

TABLE 3 POS number Time stamp Exchanged point User ID . . . . . . . . .. . . P00001101 2016/11/21 1000P 00001113 13:59:17 Used gratitude(Person B) reception currency P00001102 2016/11/25 2000P 0000111418:50:01 Used gratitude (Person C) currency . . . . . . . . .

Next, the server 2 transmits the current amount of points (the currentstatus of the gratitude currency and the gratitude reception currency)to the terminal device 1 via the network (step S436), and the terminaldevice 1 displays the remaining amount of points to notify the user(step S439).

As described above, usage of gratitude currency and gratitude receptioncurrency with a POS terminal in a store or the like results inaccumulation of point usage information in the server 2. The server 2allows generation of a visualized image, on the basis of the point usageinformation accumulated in such a manner. Subsequently, visualizationprocessing on point exchange according to the present embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 15.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of visualization processing on the status ofpoint exchange according to the present embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 15, first, the visualization unit 203 of the server 2 extracts data(accumulated point usage information) transmitted from each POSterminal, from the point usage information storage unit 23 (step S443).

Next, the visualization unit 203 acquires location information regardinga POS terminal 4 with which a point has been used, on the basis of eachPOS terminal number included in the point usage information (step S446).The server 2 has installation store information regarding each POSterminal, and can acquire location information regarding theinstallation place on the basis of the POS number.

Next, the visualization unit 203 calculates a mesh on a map to be drawn,from the location information (step S449), and appends the number ofpoints that have been exchanged, to the corresponding mesh (step S452).

Next, the visualization unit 203 determines color information regardingthe mesh, in accordance with the magnitude of numerical value forcumulative points to the mesh (step S455), and generates a visualizedimage 170 (see FIG. 16) with each mesh drawn on the map (step S458).

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the cumulation of the number of points thathave been used is colored on the map, thereby allowing real time graspof where and how much “gratitude currency” and “gratitude receptioncurrency” have been used as points. Note that, in visualization of pointusage, there can be performed temporal and local designation for pointusage information to be visualized.

5. APPLIED EXAMPLE

Subsequently, an applied example of the present embodiment will bedescribed. The terminal device 1 generates gratitude currency andgratitude reception currency in the present embodiment described above;however, the present embodiment is not limited to the terminal device 1,and gratitude currency and gratitude reception currency can be generatedon the server 2 side. There will be described below operation processingfor recognition of a gratitude act and generation of gratitude currencyand gratitude reception currency, or the like on the server 2 side, withreference to FIGS. 17 to 18. Here, there will be sequentially describedoperation processing of the terminal device 1A of the user A (terminaldevice on the gratitude act side) and the server 2, and operationprocessing of the terminal device 1B of the user B (terminal device onthe gratitude reception side) and the server 2, for a gratitude act fromthe user A to the user B, for example.

FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram of operation processing of the terminaldevice 1 on the gratitude act side and the server 2 according to theapplied example. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the terminal device 1 sensesperipheral voices and user acts with the voice input unit 14 or thesensor 15 (step S503), and transmits the sensing data (e.g., voice data)to the server 2 (step S506).

Next, the gratitude act recognition unit 204 of the server 2 performsrecognition processing on the sensing data (step S509), and recognizes agratitude act by the user him/herself (step S512). Specifically, thegratitude act recognition unit 204 recognizes an utterance of “thankyou” with voice recognition and further verifies whether or not thevoice is the user's voice, with voiceprint analysis, for example.

Next, in a case where a gratitude act by the user him/herself has beenrecognized (step S512/Yes), the currency management unit 201 of theserver 2 subtracts a predetermined amount from the remaining amount of“thank-you currency” of the user (step S515).

Next, the currency management unit 201 adds the amount that is half ofthe amount of subtraction from the “thank-you currency, to the currentamount of “gratitude currency” of the same user (step S518), andinstructs the terminal device 1 to transmit peripherally the amount of“gratitude reception currency” that is the same as the half, through theproximity wireless communication (step S521).

Next, in accordance with the instruction, the terminal device 1transmits peripherally the amount of “gratitude reception currency” thatis the same as the half, through the proximity wireless communication(step S524).

Next, in a case where the server 2 has transmitted the current currencystatus of the user to the terminal device 1 (step S527), the terminaldevice 1 displays the current status of passage to notify the user (stepS530).

FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram of operation processing of the terminaldevice on the gratitude reception side and the server according to theapplied example. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the terminal device 1 sensesperipheral voices and user acts with the voice input unit 14 or thesensor 15 (step S543), and transmits the sensing data (e.g., voice data)to the server 2 (step S546).

Next, the gratitude act recognition unit 204 of the server 2 performsrecognition processing on the sensing data (step S549), and recognizes agratitude act from the other user (step S552). Specifically, thegratitude act recognition unit 204 recognizes an utterance of “thankyou” with voice recognition and further verifies whether or not thevoice is a person's voice other than the user, with voiceprint analysis,for example.

Next, in a case where the terminal device 1 has received “gratitudereception currency” from a peripheral terminal device through theproximity wireless communication (step S555/Yes), the terminal device 1notifies the server 2 of the reception of the “gratitude receptioncurrency” (step S558).

Next, in a case where the server 2 has recognized a gratitude act fromthe other user (step S552/Yes) and further received a notice of thereception by the terminal device 1 of the “gratitude receptioncurrency”, within a certain period of time after the recognition of thegratitude act (step S561/Yes), the server 2 adds the received amount ofcurrency to the current amount of “gratitude reception currency” of theuser (step S564).

Next, in case where the server 2 has transmitted the current currencystatus of the user to the terminal device 1 (step S564), the terminaldevice 1 displays the current status of passage to notify the user (stepS570).

6. CONCLUSION

As described above, the information processing system according to theembodiment of the present disclosure makes it possible to distribute, toboth parties, virtual currency that generates value through a gratitudeact.

The preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedabove in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings; however,the present technology is not limited to such examples. It is obviousthat persons having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of thepresent disclosure can conceive various alternation examples ormodification examples within the scope of the technical idea describedin the claims, and it is naturally understood that such alternationexamples or modification examples belong to the technical scope of thepresent disclosure.

For example, there can be created a computer program for causing thehardware such as the CPU, ROM, and RAM built in the terminal device 1 orthe server 2 described above to exhibit the functions of the terminaldevice 1 or the server 2. Furthermore, there is also provided a computerreadable storage medium storing the computer program.

Furthermore, the effects described in the present specification aremerely explanatory or exemplary, and are not limiting. That is, thetechnology according to the present disclosure can exhibit other effectsobvious to those skilled in the art from the description of the presentspecification, together with or instead of the above effects.

Note that the present technology can also take the followingconfigurations.

(1)

A client device including:

a detection unit configured to detect an act of expressing gratitude bya user;

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive at least a firstportion of virtual currency; and

a control unit configured to perform control, with recognition of an actof expressing gratitude by a first user on the basis of data detected bythe detection unit, such that a certain amount corresponding to the actin virtual currency held by the first user is subtracted and a firstportion of the certain amount of the virtual currency is managed asgratitude currency held by the first user, the control unit beingconfigured to cause the communication unit to transmit peripherally asecond portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency, asinformation regarding gratitude reception currency, the control unitbeing configured to perform control, with reception of informationregarding gratitude reception currency via the communication unit afterdetection of an act of expressing gratitude by a second user on thebasis of data detected by the detection unit, such that the gratitudereception currency indicated by the information regarding the gratitudereception currency is managed as gratitude reception currency held bythe first user.

(2)

The client device according to (1) described above,

in which the control unit performs control, with detection of the act ofexpressing gratitude by the first user on the basis of the data detectedby the detection unit, such that the certain amount corresponding to theact in the virtual currency held by the first user is subtracted and thefirst portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency is managedas the gratitude currency held by the first user, and

the control unit causes the communication unit to transmit peripherallyinformation regarding gratitude reception currency indicating an amountof gratitude reception currency obtained by dividing of the secondportion of the certain amount of the virtual currency, by an estimationnumber of client devices in a periphery of the client device.

(3)

The client device according to (1) or (2) described above, furtherincluding:

a storage unit configured to store an amount of each of the pieces ofcurrency held by the first user;

an additional communication unit configured to upload, to a server, therespective amounts of the virtual currency, the gratitude currency, andthe gratitude reception currency held by the first user, in associationwith the first user; and a display unit configured to display visualizeddata of visualized information regarding the pieces of currencygenerated by the server,

in which, the control unit performs control to transmit, in accordancewith a visualization request from the user, the visualization request tothe server via the additional communication unit, and control to displaythe visualized data generated and transmitted by the server in responseto the visualization request on the display unit.

(4)

The client device according to any one of (1) to (3) described above,

in which the control unit changes the amount of the gratitude currencyand the amount of gratitude reception currency, in accordance withdetails of the detected act of expressing gratitude.

(5)

An information processing system, including:

a storage unit configured to store an amount of currency held by a user,on a per-user basis;

a communication unit configured to receive information based on datadetected by a detection unit that detects an act of expressing gratitudeby the user and information regarding the currency, together with a userID; and

a control unit configured to control the storage unit so as to manage afirst portion of a certain amount of virtual currency as gratitudecurrency held by a first user, with subtraction of the certain amountcorresponding to an act in the virtual currency held by the first userafter recognition of the act of expressing gratitude by the first usercorresponding to a first user ID, according to the information based onthe data detected by the detection unit, received together with thefirst user ID, the control unit being configured to perform control totransmit, via the communication unit, an instruction signal forinstructing a client device to peripherally transmit a second portion ofthe certain amount of the virtual currency as information regardinggratitude reception currency, the control unit being configured tofurther control the storage unit so as to manage for gratitude receptioncurrency held by the first user, with reception of a notice indicatingacquisition by the first user of a predetermined amount of gratitudereception currency, together with the first user ID from thecommunication unit, subsequently to recognition of an act of expressinggratitude by a second user not corresponding to the first user IDaccording to the information based on the data detected by the detectionunit, received together with the first user ID.

(6)

The information processing system according to (5) described above, inwhich the control unit causes the storage unit to store transaction ofgratitude currency and gratitude reception currency received via thecommunication unit, in association with a date and time, and

the control unit performs control, with reception of a visualizationrequest that requests for visualizing the transaction via thecommunication unit, such that, in accordance with information regardingthe transaction of currency stored in the storage unit, an image inwhich a direction of gratitude between each user and an amount of thegratitude are visualized is generated and a reply is made with theresultant image via the communication unit.

(7)

The information processing system according to (6) described above, inwhich the visualization request includes designation of a specificattribute to which the user belongs and a date and time of thetransaction.

(8)

The information processing system according to any one of (5) to (7)described above, in which the gratitude currency and the gratitudereception currency are each usable as a point instead of actualcurrency, and

via the communication unit, with detection of usage of the gratitudecurrency or the gratitude reception currency as the point by a specificuser in a specific store, the control unit authenticates the specificuser, and performs, in accordance with a result of the authentication,processing of a transfer reservation for sum of money corresponding tothe usage point, to an account of the specific store.

(9)

The information processing system according to (8) described above, inwhich the control unit causes the storage unit to store information,received via the communication unit, indicating the usage of thegratitude currency or the gratitude reception currency as the point atthe store, in association with a store ID and a date and time, and

the control unit performs control, with reception of a visualizationrequest that requests for visualizing the point usage via thecommunication unit, such that in accordance with the information for thepoint usage stored in the storage unit, an image in which an amount ofpoints used every place correlated to each store on a map is visualizedis generated and a reply is made with the resultant image via thecommunication unit.

(10)

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing thecomputer to function as:

a detection unit configured to detect an act of expressing gratitude bya user;

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive at least a firstportion of virtual currency; and

a control unit configured to perform control, with recognition of an actof expressing gratitude by a first user on the basis of data detected bythe detection unit, such that a certain amount corresponding to the actin virtual currency held by the first user is subtracted and a firstportion of the certain amount of the virtual currency is managed asgratitude currency held by the first user, the control unit beingconfigured to cause the communication unit to transmit peripherally asecond portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency, asinformation regarding gratitude reception currency, the control unitbeing configured to perform control, with reception of informationregarding gratitude reception currency via the communication unit afterdetection of an act of expressing gratitude by a second user on thebasis of data detected by the detection unit, such that the gratitudereception currency indicated by the information regarding the gratitudereception currency is managed as gratitude reception currency held bythe first user.

(11)

An information processing method with a processor, including:

storing an amount of currency held by a user, on a per-user basis, in astorage unit; receiving information based on data detected by adetection unit that detects an act of expressing gratitude by the userand information regarding the currency, together with a user ID, with acommunication unit; and

controlling the storage unit so as to manage a first portion of acertain amount of virtual currency as gratitude currency held by a firstuser, with subtraction of the certain amount corresponding to an act inthe virtual currency held by the first user after recognition of the actof expressing gratitude by the first user corresponding to a first userID, according to the information based on the data detected by thedetection unit, received together with the first user ID, and performingcontrol to transmit, via the communication unit, an instruction signalfor instructing a client device to peripherally transmit a secondportion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as informationregarding gratitude reception currency; and

further controlling the storage unit so as to manage for gratitudereception currency held by the first user, with reception of a noticeindicating acquisition by the first user of a predetermined amount ofgratitude reception currency, together with the first user ID from thecommunication unit, subsequently to recognition of an act of expressinggratitude by a second user not corresponding to the first user IDaccording to the information based on the data detected by the detectionunit, received together with the first user ID.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 Terminal device-   10 Control unit-   11 Network communication unit-   12 Proximity wireless communication unit-   13 Operation input unit-   14 Voice input unit-   15 Sensor-   16 Display unit-   17 Voice output unit-   18 Currency information storage unit-   2 Server-   20 Control unit-   21 Communication unit-   22 Currency issuance information storage unit-   23 Point usage information storage unit-   24 User history storage unit

1. A first client device, comprising: processing circuitry configured to: recognize an act of expressing gratitude by a first user, wherein a detection unit detects the act of expressing gratitude by the first user; subtract a certain amount corresponding to the act in virtual currency having no value held by the first user; manage a first portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as gratitude currency having value held by the first user; transmit peripherally a second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as gratitude reception currency; receive information regarding the gratitude reception currency from a client device associated with a second user after recognizing an act of expressing gratitude by the second user, wherein the detection unit detects the act of expressing gratitude by the second user; and manage the gratitude reception currency indicated by the information regarding the gratitude reception currency as the gratitude reception currency having value held by the first user.
 2. The first client device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: select a set of second client devices in a periphery of the first client device; determine an amount of the gratitude reception currency based on division of the second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency by a number of client devices in the selected set of second client devices; and transmit peripherally the amount of the second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as the gratitude reception currency.
 3. The first client device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive a visualization request from the first user; control transmission of the visualization request to a server; receive visualized data generated by the server, wherein the visualized data includes the virtual currency having no value held by the first user, the gratitude currency having value held by the first user, and the gratitude reception currency having value held by the first user; and control display of the visualized data on a display unit in response to the visualization request.
 4. The first client device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to change an amount of the gratitude currency having value and an amount of the gratitude reception currency having value, based on details of the recognized act of expressing gratitude.
 5. An information processing method, comprising: in a first client device: recognizing an act of expressing gratitude by a first user, wherein a detection unit detects the act of expressing gratitude by the first user; subtracting a certain amount corresponding to the act in virtual currency having no value held by the first user; managing a first portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as gratitude currency having value held by the first user; transmitting peripherally a second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as gratitude reception currency; receiving information regarding the gratitude reception currency from a client device associated with a second user after recognizing an act of expressing gratitude by the second user, wherein the detection unit detects the act of expressing gratitude by the second user; and managing the gratitude reception currency indicated by the information regarding the gratitude reception currency as the gratitude reception currency having value held by the first user.
 6. The information processing method according to claim 5, further comprising: selecting a set of second client devices in a periphery of the first client device; determining an amount of the gratitude reception currency based on division of the second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency by a number of client devices in the selected set of second client devices; and transmitting peripherally the amount of the second portion of the certain amount of the virtual currency as the gratitude reception currency.
 7. The information processing method according to claim 5, further comprising: receiving a visualization request from the first user; controlling transmission of the visualization request to a server; receiving visualized data generated by the server, wherein the visualized data includes the virtual currency having no value held by the first user, the gratitude currency having value held by the first user, and the gratitude reception currency having value held by the first user; and controlling display of the visualized data on a display unit in response to the visualization request.
 8. The information processing method according to claim 5, further comprising: changing an amount of the gratitude currency having value and an amount of the gratitude reception currency having value, based on details of the recognized act of expressing gratitude. 